A campaign tried to get 100 Christmas cards to a 100-year-old B.C. veteran. He has 700 and counting

When Irv Radatzke turned 100 years old last month, a longtime friend wanted to find a way to thank him for everything he’s done for the community.

The Second World War veteran spent his birthday and Remembrance Day at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital recovering from a fall. In an effort to boost his spirits, Moe Boyle launched Operation Irv, which asked people to send Christmas cards to the centenarian.

The goal was to have the 100-year-old receive 100 Christmas cards this holiday season. The plan has exceeded expectations, she said. By her count, he has received more than 700 cards.

Many of the cards feature pictures and drawings of dogs as Radatzke is known for his love of canines.

The Second World War veteran has also received cards from schoolchildren.

One card from a Grade 5 student reads:

“Thank you for your service. You saved our country from evil taking over our country. I hope you get a lot of presents in the hospital. Have an eventful Christmas.”

He’s even received messages from as far as the North Pole.

“We sent a card to Santa Claus and we got a response,” Boyle said, adding that Radatzke was notified that he made it on Santa’s nice list.

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She said the cards and messages have brightened Radatzke’s time in hospital and will hopefully ease his transition into a care facility.

“I read all the cards and he would go, ‘Oh, isn’t that nice?’” she said.

“That’s what he would say. And I’d say, ‘look at this one from a five-year-old and I would read what the five-year-old said and, ‘Oh, that was nice.’”

Radatzke and Boyle met more than 20 years ago when she was a crossing guard and struck up a conversation with Radatzke, who walked his dogs nearby.

“He told me his age. I didn’t believe him, so the next day he came down with his driver’s licence to prove his age — and it was friends forever by then,” she told CBC’s On The Coast last month.

Over their years of friendship, Boys says, she’s seen him help out in countless ways.

“Whether it’s to build a fence or plant flowers, he’s always been the one that you could rely on,” she said.

“He’s never asked for anything in return. This man is so humble. He really is the sweetest man on the Earth.”

To honour his 100th birthday, the City of New Westminster declared Nov. 13 “Irv Radatzke Day.” Boyle said the veteran’s birthday was recognized by King Charles and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. B.C. Premier David Eby also sent birthday greetings.

Boyle said the Christmas card campaign is another way for the community to honour Radatzke.

“People just wanted to do this, they wanted the joy just to send the card,” she said. “People that don’t know him, people that do know him, people who want to meet him, people who respect him. And they were all willing to do this.”

One of Boyle’s favourite letters came from a student at a New Westminster school.

“Your presence in the neighbourhood is one of the things that has always made the neighbourhood so wonderful. Your smile and laughter and generosity [have] affected all of us. We all smiled more because of you.”